praying

The Job Front

Samantha Gratton

I promised a part two to the never ending analogy of the interview process and the dating scene. The hubby said it got a little confusing to read, and he knew who all the key players were. The short of it is that I was interviewing at several places at once but one stole my heart and later broke it. In that state of brokenheartedness, I went on a resume rampage and sent it to more than a few places that looked interesting to me.

One in particular I actually cared about hearing back from, the rest was a bit of a blind email spree. You know what? I only heard back from that one. Within a week they said to stop by for an open house they were having. A few days later they had me in for an interview. The very next day, they offered me the job.

What the what? In some ways it felt so fast. I had been interviewing of course all along but never thought it would happen so soon after meeting them. It took me a few days to sort through it. I had a really difficult time figuring out how best to respond. I wanted so badly to make the right decision, the perfect decision. I took the job.

Yesterday was my first day. Although slow, it was a good day. Got signed up for all the accounts and email, read through some documents and played a few (losing) games of ping pong against the guys. I don’t know yet what all my job will look like. I have a feeling there will be good and bad in it, like all jobs. I have been so scared to be excited or to even tell a bunch of people. It’s not because I’m not excited, I think it has more to do with being scared of the unknown. I don’t want to feel like I failed once again if this isn’t the ultimate best job ever for me. I don’t love that fear. But, fear is always there in some way or another, we just have to figure out how to deal with it. I’m praying that this is good. And if it isn’t, I’m praying for the good that will still come from it. Regardless, I’m going to be excited for all that is good about it, like the fact that they have waffle Fridays and seem to genuinely care about each other. I think that’s the best decision I can make.

Heart Stirs

Samantha Gratton

In the past week I had the pleasure of taking a quick trip to Boston to visit a friend and take full advantage of the rest of my “vacation time” before starting my new job on Monday. It’s a beautiful city I’d never been to before and although we’re still exploring our new hometown, it was great to get away. Most of the day she worked, which left me with plenty of time to think and pray as I rode the train and walked around town.

We just moved halfway across the country and maybe experienced more adventure than most face in any given year. I can’t help but ask what’s around the bend. We’ve gotten this far and for the most part, without a hitch. So just what’s in store for us now that we’re here? Because clearly, we’re here for something, and I think it must be something big considering how quickly and smoothly things went. For four days I walked around a busy and historic city thinking about just that. When I returned, I recounted all of these thoughts, plans, ideas, hopes, goals and questions to the hubby.

So last night, over some fruit and cheese, we said whatever came to mind about this future in front of us. What might we face in the next few years? Going back to school? Owning a business? Having biological children? Adopting children? Working a second job? Taking a trip? Buying a house?

In this, we also talked about the difference between contentment and readiness. Being content with what you have is an extremely important lesson. But being comfortable is not what we were called to be. Neither are we called to be mediocre or secure or stagnant. We want to make the most of this life that we have been blessed with and our hearts are being stirred.